


A Blindfold Over Our Eyes

by thegirlwhoknits



Category: The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Angst, Emotional Manipulation, Eventual Frostiron, F/F, F/M, Infidelity, M/M, Trouble In Paradise, eventual fem!slash, shady!Natasha, this will probably not have a happy ending
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-01-17
Updated: 2013-06-18
Packaged: 2017-11-25 20:58:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,096
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/642892
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thegirlwhoknits/pseuds/thegirlwhoknits
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony and Pepper are struggling to hold on to each other after the Battle of New York.  But are their good intentions going to be enough, especially when Loki and Natasha decide to pursue their own interests in the pair?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Beta'd by the lovely Scarimonious, my partner in crime. I'm hoping to post an update every weekday or so!
> 
> For Anna, always.

Tony bent over the bed and smoothed Pepper’s hair back from her face as she slept.  The digital clock on the nightstand read 3:30 a.m., so he was careful not to wake her.  He’d stayed late in the lab again, not doing anything in particular, just…

 _Hiding,_ a tiny voice in his head supplied.  His conscience, he supposed.  Funny how it sounded like Jarvis.

Not that Jarvis would ever openly comment on the fact that he spent all his time in the lab whenever Pepper was home.  If anything, he sometimes imagined the AI’s voice held a note of sympathy as he opened yet another file of upgrade schematics that Tony had already been over a dozen times.

 _At least someone’s on my side,_ Tony thought, then mentally slapped himself.  There were no _sides_ ; there was only him, being a self-centered bastard as usual, and not appreciating a good thing when he had it.  And Pepper had always been the very best thing in his life.

He stripped down to his t-shirt and shorts by the light of the arc reactor and slipped between the cool sheets.  Pepper murmured in her sleep, stirring slightly. He laid a soothing hand on her shoulder, gazing at the back of her head, her strawberry blonde hair taking on a greenish tint in the blue light.  He pushed away the heaviness that settled over his heart.  No, this was temporary, just an adjustment phase, a reaction to all the changes in his life since the Battle.  He just needed to give it time, work on pulling his head out of his ass.  He owed her that much- Pepper had been there for him when no one else had, the least he could do was see this though.

If Jarvis had really been his conscience, the AI might have pointed out that this was not exactly the sentiment of a man madly in love.

~

Pepper lay in bed for a few minutes after turning off her alarm, mentally preparing herself for the day.  Tony’s soft breathing behind her told her he’d eventually come to bed.  She knew he’d been avoiding her lately, and she couldn’t really blame him.  Ever since the Battle of New York, she’d been harder on him than she should’ve been.

She sighed quietly and eased herself out of bed as gently as she could, closing the door to the walk-in closet behind her and turning on the light.  To be honest, she’d hoped that the Avengers would’ve had a stronger positive effect on him, given him a sense of responsibility.  But it was the same old story with Tony; he always came through with the grand gestures, but the day-to-day of adult life continued to elude him.  Still, she really didn’t have room to complain.  She’d known what she was getting into.

She dressed in a smart grey suit and pink blouse; her own version of armor.  Sitting in front of the mirror, she pulled back her hair and carefully applied her makeup. When she was done, she paused, looking at her reflection and holding her own gaze.  _You can do this,_ she told herself firmly.  _He needs you.  You’re all he’s got._

Looking back at Tony before she left the room, she felt a surge of affection for him.  He was relaxed and peaceful for now, without the manic energy he seemed to produce like static.  And if that affection was more what one would feel for a child or a beloved pet than for a lover… Well, there was no one there to point it out.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Natasha lends a sympathetic(?) ear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Much love to Scarimonious for her beta-ing and just generally putting up with my shit.
> 
> For Anna, always.

Pepper’s favorite place to work when she was at the Tower was the shared kitchen on the Avenger’s floor.  Tony’s penthouse had its own kitchen, of course, but neither of them ever used it.  She had her own office, too, quiet and dark and with far too much room for her thoughts.  She preferred the bustle and distraction, people coming and going, grabbing food, bantering, even occasionally making out- this was mostly Phil and Clint, surprisingly.  Ever since he came back from the dead, Phil, while still _Agent Coulson_ at work, had unbent considerably in his off hours.  He and Clint seemed determined not to waste one more minute of time together.

She sighed, fondly remembering herself and Tony in the early stages of their relationship.  She’d never tell any of the Avengers, but just about every floor of the Tower had been christened by the two of them before it was even finished being built.  Now, despite Tony’s sex drive, they made love twice a month if they were lucky.  Her schedule as CEO was part of the problem, but not the whole of it.  In her less charitable moments she wondered if there was someone else, although logistically she knew that was impossible; Tony’s life was more closely scheduled and monitored than ever before.  He still flirted with everyone he ran into, but there was no way he could take it a step further without every one of the Avengers knowing about it within hours.

 _Not that he would do that,_ she chided herself.  She had to give him that much credit for his ability to change.  Tony hadn’t so much as bothered her for a threesome in the past two months.

As if summoned by her thoughts, the other reason Pepper so often worked in the kitchen slid into the seat opposite her and pushed a cup of tea across the table.  She looked up from her paperwork, straight into Natasha’s green eyes.  The agent smiled at her and Pepper’s stomach did a tiny flip-flop. She took a sip of tea to cover it and smiled back gratefully.

“Working late again,” Natasha observed.  “That doesn’t have anything to do with the fact that Tony’s been forced out of his lab until the damage is repaired, does it?”

Pepper stopped herself from taking another sip of tea just in time to avoid choking.  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she managed, unconvincingly.

Natasha just raised an eyebrow.  “C’mon, anyone can see there’s trouble in paradise.  It happens to the best of us- or so I’ve heard.  Maybe talking about it will help.”

“I doubt it,” she said, giving up the pretense.  “There’s nothing really wrong, not that I can put a finger on.  Things just haven’t been the same since…”

“Since the Battle.  I know.  We all had a lot of damage to get over from that, not to mention having to adjust to working as a team.  Some of us aren’t exactly used to that,” Natasha said with a rueful smile.

“And Tony’s one of them.  Still, I’m not sure that’s all of it.  Almost every conversation we have, it seems like we’re talking at cross-purposes.  And I know I’m finding fault with him all the time… It’s just, I love him the way he is, but sometimes I wish he’d grow up a _little._ ”

Her friend chuckled.  “Well, that’s a lost cause.  But look at the progress he has made- when I first met him, I don’t think I would have ever believed he’d be in a relationship this long, but he’s really devoted to you.  In his own way.  The question is, is his way enough for you?”

Pepper was silent.  That _was_ the question, really, and in her deepest heart she knew the answer.  But it didn’t matter, because Tony needed her.  No one else could see how fragile he really was underneath all the bluster and bravado, and she couldn’t abandon him.

She took one last swig of her tea and started gathering up her paperwork.  Natasha reached over and touched her hand, lightly, and she stopped and looked up.

“Just remember, I’m always here for you,” the agent said quietly, letting her hand linger a moment longer before pulling it away.  Pepper’s mouth felt suddenly dry, despite the tea.

“I know.  Thank you, ‘Tasha,” she managed.

~

Natasha leaned back in her chair and watched as Pepper left the kitchen, a small smile curling her lips.


	3. Chapter 3

Tony wiped the sweat out of his eyes and shot Steve a haphazard grin.  They’d been sparring for nearly an hour now, and he was proud to say he’d held his own most of the time.  The first time they’d done this, the supersoldier had wiped the floor with him.  Tony wouldn’t admit it, but he _might_ have asked Natasha to teach him some of her dirtier tricks after that experience.

They circled each other for a few more minutes before Tony plunged back into the fray.  A few punches and kicks later, Steve had him flat on his back for the third time that session.  He held up his hands, panting, and let his head thunk down against the floor.

“I think I’m done for today,” he conceded.

Steve held out a hand to help him up.  “Not bad.  You still need to learn some patience, though.”

Tony gave him the same tight smile he’d given Howard every time his father had extended backhanded praise to one of his son’s projects.  It was easy to see why he and Captain America had been such great friends.  To be absolutely fair, Steve was just as hard on himself as he was on others, but that didn’t help with Tony’s innate feeling of not measuring up.

“On the bright side,” Steve continued, “we’re finished early, so there’s plenty of time for a long soak before dinner.”  Seeing Tony’s blank look, he said, “It’s Thursday, remember?”

“Yeah, of course!” Tony lied.  “You think I don’t have a calendar?”

His friend sighed, clearly not buying it. “I think you wouldn’t know a calendar if it bit you, Tony.  Coming?”

“Naw, that’s alright, I’ll catch a shower upstairs.  I’ve got some things to finish up before feeding time at the zoo.”  He could feel the weight of Steve’s gaze on him, always evaluating, and suddenly couldn’t get away fast enough.

~

As it happened, he did have work to do - if it _was_ Thursday, Pepper would be back sometime after dinner, and he hadn’t even looked at the paperwork she’d left for him four days ago.  Staring at the inch-thick pile did nothing to improve his feeling of inadequacy.  He could almost hear Pepper’s voice telling him to “show a _little_ responsibility, Tony, please”.  He winced as he sat down at the little-used desk in his suite, resigned.

Bruce eventually came to fetch him when it became clear he wasn’t going to come down for dinner on his own.  Tony usually spent a fair amount of time on the common floor, but Thursdays tended to make him drag his feet.  He loved his teammates; he just preferred to take them one or two at a time.  That way he could better control _which_ Tony they got to see.  Steve got “trying to be responsible” Tony; Bruce got his science bro; Clint got a fellow trickster; Natasha got someone to spar with, mentally and physically.  Coulson - well, he mostly got “whining about paperwork and regulations” Tony, but he didn’t seem to mind.

Interestingly, Thor probably got to see the most authentic version of him.  For some reason, Tony didn’t feel that Thor had any particular expectations of him, which struck him as somewhat ironic.  You’d think a god would be more judgmental of mortals.

At dinner, Tony resorted to his public face - loud, grinning, and flashy, deflecting anything that might make an actual impact on him.  The team made it a point to sit him and Clint next to each other, which seemed counterintuitive until you factored in the elevated risk of food fights when they were out of arm-punching range. 

Coulson had cooked lasagna.  He always made Italian, but it was the _best_ Italian, so nobody ever complained.  (Nobody complained about Natasha’s Russian home-cooking either, for completely different reasons.)

“This is really good, Phil.” Tony’s words were muffled by a mouthful of pasta.  “You ever want to open a restaurant, I’ll back you all the way.  Could be a good retirement plan.”

“For all of us!” Clint said enthusiastically. “Nat can be the bartender, Bruce and I’ll wait tables, Steve can be the host, and Thor can be… the bouncer!”

“One, my hypothetical restaurant does _not_ need a bouncer; two, if we let Nat bartend no one would make it out alive; and three, there is no way I’m letting your cute ass wait tables.  You’d come away with more phone numbers than tips.”  Coulson gave him his usual fond-but-exasperated smile.

“Aww, baby, you know I’ll always come home to you,” Clint responded with an exaggerated smack on his boyfriend’s lips.

It didn’t escape Tony that he hadn’t been included in their hypothetical plan, beyond offering financial resources.  Well, that was what he was good for, wasn’t it?  He forced a grin as they continued the banter, washing down the sudden bitterness with the generous gulp of wine.

~

Pepper arrived just before dessert, in time to join in the groans over Clint’s crude comments about his boyfriend’s cannoli.  She smiled at him through the commotion, and his answering smile was the first genuine expression his face had worn all night.  This was why he loved her; she had a way of making his bright, loud world seem quiet.

The problem, lately, was that quiet gave him too much room to think.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natasha meddles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Scarimonious, beta and fabulous human being!
> 
> Please forgive my liberties with Oscorp and Natasha's wristbands. They won't figure into the plot much so hopefully it won't be too obnoxious.

It took twenty minutes for Tony to notice Natasha sitting quietly on the sofa in his workshop (he checked the security footage later).  He’d been expecting her to show up at some point - she’d asked him for a new pair of wristbands earlier that week and they’d only taken him a couple of days to complete.

He spun around in his chair, clutching a mug of coffee and trying to look like he’d known she was there all along.  Judging by her smirk, he was completely unsuccessful.  He ignored it and tossed the wristbands to her. She caught them without looking.

“They’ve got the modified darts you asked for instead of an electric discharge.  You just put pressure on the sensors here,” he pointed, “or here, depending on which projectiles you want.”

“Thanks, Tony.”  She examined them carefully, pointing one at the wall and shooting a couple of test darts into the concrete.  The first one pinged off; the second stuck firmly in as though the surface were made of clay.  Before he could turn back to his work, she said, “Has Pepper told you about tomorrow’s meeting yet?”

“I think she mentioned something about having one?” He waved his hand vaguely.

Tasha’s lips tightened, though whether in irritation at him or Pepper, he couldn’t tell.  “It’s with Oscorp, Tony.  SHIELD asked her to go, with me as her PA, to see if we can gather intelligence on their latest projects.”

Now she had his full attention.  “Pepper’s going on a mission for SHIELD?  Why the hell didn’t anyone tell me about this?”

“We thought Pepper would talk to you about it.  When you didn’t show up banging on Coulson’s door, demanding an explanation, I figured she hadn’t.  So I’m telling you now.  Normally I would respect her decision, but I thought you deserved to know.”

“Wait, I don’t understand, why is _Pepper_ doing this?  Wouldn’t it make more sense for me to go?  I’m the owner of Stark Industries _and_ Iron Man. Why is SHIELD sending a civilian into this?”

“First of all, this is a business meeting, not a technical discussion, and Pepper knows the business side of things far better than you do.  Second, this calls for tact, not a quality you are famous for possessing in abundance.  And,” she added reluctantly, “Pepper volunteered.”

“Of course she did,” he muttered balefully.  “And I’m sure she’s been _completely_ _informed_ of all the risks.”

“Tony, no one wants to put Pepper in any unnecessary danger.  This is a really a low-risk operation; just a bit of corporate espionage.  Believe it or not, Pepper’s been in similar situations working for you.”

“Not with Oscorp.”

She sighed.  “No, not with Oscorp.  But not with me backing her up, either.  She’s a grown woman, Tony, she knows what she’s doing.”  She grabbed his arm lightly before he could turn away.  “There’s something else.”  She hesitated.  “I’ve been working with you and Pepper for a while now, and I can tell things have been… strained between you, lately.  The others don’t notice it because they didn’t know you before.  I just wanted to tell you, if there is something going on, you can talk to me about it.  I might be able to help.”

He gave her a long, cynical look.  “So, is this an official visit, Agent Romanov?”

She offered him a shrug and a half-smile, not looking even slightly apologetic.

“Well, you and your boss can rest easy.  I’m not cheating on Pepper, and I’ll do anything I can to avoid her getting hurt.  She was everything to me, when I had nothing.”  His gaze dropped the contents of his coffee mug.

“Interesting that you should jump straight to infidelity,” Natasha picked up the thread of the conversation before he noticed his slip.

“Isn’t that what everyone jumps to where I’m involved?” he retorted.  “It’s all about sex and money when you’re Tony Stark, everyone knows that.”

“Not everyone, Tony.  Some of us know you better.”  She touched his shoulder lightly and held up the wristbands.  “Thanks for these.”

He stared after her as she left the lab, almost mollified enough to forget his anger at Pepper.  Almost.

~

“What do you want me to tell you, Tony?  It’s just a business meeting, like any other.  I’m not going to be doing anything dangerous - that’s Natasha’s job.”

“And what if she gets caught?  Do you think they’ll believe you had nothing to do with it and just let you go?”

Pepper raised an eyebrow at him.

“Alright, I’m not saying it’s _likely_ , but why can’t I come with you?”  Tony was aware he was appallingly close to whining.

“Because, Tony, you are the exact opposite of inconspicuous.”

Her tone of faint condescension finally made him snap.  “Well, I hope for your sake that being _inconspicuous_ is enough to save your hide when Oscorp is trying to experiment on it.”  He stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

Pepper sank down to the couch.  That had gone about as badly as she’d expected.  She’d really hoped to present the mission as a _fait accompli_ , but someone at SHIELD must have assumed he already knew.  Why couldn’t he just be reasonable for once?  Why did he have to act as if she were some kind of damsel in distress?  She’d run his company- hell, his whole life - for nearly as long as they’d known each other, but the past few months he’d treated her as though she were made of glass.  She didn’t know how much longer she could stand it.

She let her head fall against the back of the couch.  Well, there was no chance of her sleeping now.  She might as well review the documents for tomorrow’s meeting one more time.

~

The common floor was quiet, but the light in the kitchen was already on.  Natasha smiled as Pepper came in, and rose gracefully to pour her a cup of tea.  “Couldn’t sleep either?  Maybe talking about it would help.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK, I'll leave it to you guys to decide- do you want a boring boardroom scene next chapter or some smut?


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Natasha is naughty, possibly downright devious... And there is femslash.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So many thanks to Scarimonious for her prompt and insightful beta-ing! Comments are love and may possibly inspire me to write faster/with more smut.
> 
> THERE IS EXPLICIT F/F SEX IN THIS CHAPTER

Pepper didn’t see Tony before she and Natasha left for Oscorp the next day.  He’d still been locked up in the lab when she finally went to bed at two a.m. and he’d probably slept on the couch in there, if he’d bothered to sleep at all.  She knew from experience - long, _hard_ experience - that there was no point trying to talk sense into him before he was ready.  So she left him to work off his sulk in his own time.

Natasha met her in the kitchen, already in character as Natalie Rushman.  Pepper marveled at the transformation, the way the terrifyingly competent spy faded into someone who could be mistaken for merely human. 

 _But still beautiful,_ she thought distractedly, before she realized she was staring.  She fought to keep from blushing, but ‘Natalie’ gave no sign of noticing.  She handed Pepper her briefcase and cellphone, which SHIELD had updated with a surveillance app on the off-chance something interesting was let slip in the meeting itself.

“Ready, Ms. Potts?” she asked, without a trace of irony.

“Absolutely. Let’s go.” Pepper took the cue to slip into her own ‘character’ as CEO of Stark Industries.

~

The mission went nearly flawlessly.  Despite her confident words to Tony, a small part of Pepper had expected things to end in disaster. She just hadn’t let it stop her.

But the meeting - a discussion of a possible technology swap between Oscorp and Stark Industries - had gone smoothly.  Natalie slipped out quietly, as planned, and presumably acquired the data she’d come to collect.  She met Pepper at the car, a twinkle in her eye the only crack in her disguise. Alarms started blaring throughout the building as they pulled away. Natasha turned to Pepper with a smirk, and both women burst out laughing.

~

Pepper was still a bit giddy by the time they arrived back at the Tower.  She slipped off her jacket and poured herself a drink while Tasha went to change.  By the time she re-emerged, in jeans and a clingy t-shirt, Pepper was curled up on the sofa, shoes and stockings removed, looking a little calmer but still nursing a hum of excitement under her skin.

“I should probably check on Tony, let him know we’re back, and see if he’s still sulking,” she said reluctantly, but Natasha shook her head as she lowered herself onto the couch next to her.

“Fury called while I was in the shower.  The Avengers were called out, to Nebraska of all places.  They probably won’t be back for a day or two at least.”

Pepper’s heart sunk a little bit. “Do you have to head out there too?” she asked, surreptitiously checking her phone.  No messages, no missed calls.

“Naw, they’ve got it covered. Fury just wanted to tell me to e-mail my report on the Oscorp mission directly to Coulson.  We can kick back and enjoy a few days of peace for a change.”  She gave Pepper a wicked grin that made her stomach flutter a bit.

She returned a small, fierce smile. So Tony wanted to be a petty brat and ignore her? Fine. She could ignore him right back, and have a good time, too.  “Great!” she said brightly.  “I’ll get the movies, you get the alcohol.”

“Sounds like a plan!” Natasha winked at her and she had to suppress a shiver.  This looked like it was going to be an interesting night.

~

A few hours later they were pleasantly tipsy and loudly critiquing the villain’s plan in _Die Hard 2._ Pepper had scooted over progressively during the first film, and now she was practically in Natasha’s lap, her head resting on her shoulder as the other woman’s hand tangled in her hair.  She was growing ever more frustrated with the agent’s endless nitpicking, and ever more distracted by the little, seemingly casual touches being bestowed at the same time.

“I’m just saying,” Tasha was saying vehemently for the fifteenth time, “it would have been so much more efficient if–” Her invective was cut off as Pepper executed a sudden twist and kissed her.  It wasn’t the best-aimed kiss, but the enthusiasm behind it made up for that, and Natasha grabbed her hips to reposition and pull her closer as she returned it with interest.

When they finally broke for air, she transferred her focus to the line of Pepper’s neck, gripping the back of it lightly as she trailed kisses and light nips down to her collarbone.  Pepper moved her knees forward to straddle Tasha’s lap, letting her head fall back and moaning as Tasha’s other hand slid under the hem of her blouse and traced the lacy edge of her bra.

She must have hit a ticklish spot, because Pepper suddenly giggled and jerked sideways, causing them both to tumble off the couch.  Luckily the coffee table was far enough away that they didn’t bash their heads, but they both started laughing hysterically.

When they calmed down, Pepper started to get a thoughtful look on her face.  Natasha headed it off at the pass, pinning her arms to the floor and kissing her fiercely.  “Don’t.  Just don’t.  Worry about it later; just stay here with me right now.”

Pepper turned her head away, looking as if she was about to try and break free, when her gaze fell on her still-silent cellphone, discarded on the floor.  She turned back, an internal _‘fuck it’_ visible in her expression.  “Yes,” she said huskily, “but—“

Natasha caught her with another kiss, and this time when they broke apart all Pepper could manage was, “Bed?”

They made it to Natasha’s sparsely-furnished bedroom in record time, already mostly naked and breathless.  Pepper resolutely shoved the rational part of her mind away and focused on the sensations engulfing her: Tasha’s mouth hot on her skin, teeth pressing into her shoulder just short of bruising, her tongue swirling around her nipple.  She moved over Pepper’s body as though she were mapping out a mission, not wanting to miss a single detail.  Just as she started to get used to one sensation, mouth, teeth, and fingers were suddenly somewhere else, keeping her breathless and on edge.

Finally, when she was reduced to a panting, mindless mess, Natasha moved her mouth back to Pepper’s, her hands and body slowing but still urgent, insistent.  Moving down to suck a nipple into her mouth, her right hand drifted downward, ghosting over Pepper’s belly, making her shiver, before coming to rest between her legs.  She stroked the inside of her thighs encouragingly, coaxing them wider, and Pepper’s knees fell apart obligingly as she tilted her pelvis up with a whimper. 

Natasha reached up to grab a pillow and thrust it under, supporting Pepper’s hips as her upper body fell boneless against the comforter.  She settled herself between Pepper’s outstretched thighs and started slowly. Slender fingertips traced the curves of her pussy, Tasha’s mouth lowering to tease with hot, moist breath before easing her tongue just inside her. Pepper gasped helplessly at the sensation of the other woman’s strong, hot tongue pushing inside her, tasting the wetness that was already beginning to drip down Natasha’s chin. Then she was licking upwards, spreading and tracing her inner lips until she reached her clit and circled it, probing and flicking.

Pepper mades a small choking noise, obviously trying to hold back a moan, while she fisted her hands in the crisp cotton comforter.  Natasha gave a little growl, finally sucking the tiny bud between her lips as she eased a single fingertip inside.  This time Pepper’s moans broke free, obscenely loud in the quiet room.

Tasha gave her clit another firm lick before pulling away slightly to mutter, “Good girl,” and added another finger, crooking them upwards along the slick wall of Pepper’s pussy, searching for her most sensitive spot.  She eased up on her clit, circling around it and adding occasional firmer licks and sucks, keeping the rhythm unpredictable and causing Pepper to buck and writhe on the bed.

She knew she’d found the right spot when the other woman’s body tensed against her and she let out a long, drawn-out noise, somewhere between a moan and a scream.  In response, she added another finger, keeping the same angle, and started working in earnest, pumping in and out smoothly as she alternated licking and sucking at Pepper’s clit. 

Pepper came violently, her walls clenching so tightly around Tasha’s fingers that she couldn’t have moved them if she tried, and her cries of pleasure seemed torn out of her as she arched against the bed.  Finally her body went slack, eyes closed and mouth open.  Tasha pulled her fingers out gently and moved up her lover’s body, pulling the pillow out from under her hips and stroking her skin firmly and soothingly as she came up to cradle Pepper against her body.

~

Tony glared at his phone threateningly, one step away from throwing it against the wall.  Not that it would do any good- the Avengers’ phones were built to withstand a _lot_ of rough treatment.

“Still not answering?” Cap said sympathetically.  “I’m sure she’ll cool down soon, Tony.”

“At least we know she’s home safe; Tasha reported in to Fury as soon as they got back to the Tower,” Clint added helpfully.

Settling for slamming the offending tech on the bedside table with excessive force, Tony grimaced at both of them.  “It’s not just that she’s _not answering_.  She’s put her phone into ‘do not disturb’ mode - no incoming calls, no voice mail, no texts, not even an indication of missed calls. She only does that when…”  _When we’re having sex._ He refused to admit that as a possibility, let alone say it out loud.

“Come on, buddy,” Clint reached out a hand to pull him off the bed.  “She’ll talk when she’s ready to talk.  In the meantime, sitting around here moping isn’t going to do any good.  I know a lot of good bars around here - let’s see if we can collectively out-drink Thor.  Phil’s offered to be designated driver in exchange for taking blackmail pictures.”

 _What the hell_ , Tony thought.  Pepper was obviously doing fine without him, he might as well make the best of it, too.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Avengers try to out-drink Thor; Tony runs into a Certain Someone at the bar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks as ever to Scarimonious for her betaing!

They took the out-drinking Thor in shifts, Phil keeping a tally of drinks consumed.  Clint went first, making a big show of “taking one for the team,” and was now slumped in a chair, out cold.  Tony was third, and quit much sooner than he might have.  Drinking himself insensible wasn’t distracting him from his thoughts; it was just making him imagine more and more upsetting possibilities.  He made his way over to the bar as Steve, their reserve man, stepped up to the plate.  He ordered a decent scotch, but sat nursing it instead of downing it in one go.

Someone slipped onto the barstool next to him, and a familiar voice told the bartender, “I’ll have what he’s having.”

Tony wobbled his head toward the owner of the voice. Then took a moment to adjust his focus.  Then took another moment to process what his eyes told his brain he was seeing.

“What the hell are _you_ doing here?” He tried to rise off his stool, but only managed to start sliding towards the floor.  The other man’s hand reached out to steady him.

“Having a drink,” Loki answered, clearly amused.  “Which I believe you’re paying for, actually.”

“What? Why would I…” Tony suddenly remembered the offer he’d made at the beginning of his brash speech during the Battle of New York. He grimaced.  “Fine.  But tell me what you’re really doing here, or I’ll set Thor on you faster than you can blink.”

“I’m actually telling the truth, not that I expect you to believe that.  Besides, I’ve done my time on Asgard—Thor has no cause to quarrel with me, although I’m sure he wouldn’t be pleased to see me in his ‘territory.’”  Loki pronounced the last word mockingly.

“I’m his territory now, am I?” Tony muttered into his scotch, bitterly.

“I wasn’t specifically referring to you, and I’m not ‘in’ you…yet.” Loki smirked.

If Tony hadn’t already been flushed from drinking he might have blushed at that.  “That wasn’t what I meant.”

“Wasn’t it?  How disappointing.”

Was he imagining it, or did the God of Mischief actually sound disappointed?  He wobbled his head back over again to find Loki watching him with dark eyes.  This time he did feel a wave of heat, but not so much in his face.  He tried to turn to see if the other Avengers were noticing any of this, and ended up sliding practically into Loki’s lap.  Which, once he was there, somehow felt like a reasonable place to stay.  The God wrapped one arm firmly around his waist, using the other to take a sip of his drink.  He made a small moue of distaste, which Tony considered taking personally.  Instead he found himself focusing on Loki’s lips, slightly damp with liquor.  The next time his brain checked in he was licking the taste of scotch out of the mouth of a very amused God.

“No sense wasting good alcohol on people with no taste,” he mumbled.  Loki laughed, a clear, carrying sound with no bitterness it in.  Tony looked up into his face, studying it with what soberness he could muster.  For the first time, he noticed that the God seemed…healthier.  The shadows under his eyes and the glint of madness within them had faded, leaving only a sparkling emerald.  He lifted his hand to Loki’s hair, which also seemed more relaxed, falling in subtle waves to his shoulders.  It was soft to the touch, and Loki tilted his head into the movement, like a cat.

“Mr. Stark,” he purred in Tony’s ear.  “Much as I’d like to continue this conversation somewhere more private, you are quite intoxicated, and I wouldn’t want to alarm your companions by stealing you away.  I’m afraid I’ll have to take another rain check on our drink together.”

He lifted Tony from his lap easily — _Strength of a God,_ Tony’s mind muttered a little hysterically, belatedly remembering being thrown out a window — and placed him back on his own barstool.  By the time Tony had regained his balance, the Trickster was gone.

~

Tony woke late the next morning to bright sunlight streaming through his hotel window and Thor snoring prodigiously on his floor.  He wasn’t sure what the Thunder God was doing there — they all had their own rooms, except for Phil and Clint — but he was suddenly glad things hadn’t gone any further with Loki.  If that hadn’t been a dream, anyway.

_A ridiculously sexy, potentially dangerous dream,_ he thought, his blood heating again at the thought of Loki’s mouth on his, his voice rumbling in his ear.  Thor snorted loudly, and Tony wrapped a sheet around his waist, hurrying to the shower before the God woke and found him with a hard-on inspired by his brother.

As the steam filled up the bathroom, his thoughts drifted back to the unpleasant events than had sent him to the bar in the first place.  Why would Pepper have set her phone to “do not disturb”?  It wasn’t as though it was the kind of thing you could do accidentally—the command was located on a locked sub-menu, a modification he’d made himself.  He’d managed to quash the paranoia that she was cheating on him with Clint’s assurance that she’d been with Natasha when she called in, and Nat said they were settling in for a “girl’s night.”

Was she really that mad at him?

If he was honest with himself, though, in the cold light of day the thought that she might have been cheating on him carried a kind of guilty relief.  He loved Pepper, and he knew he always would, but he was starting to think that the distance growing between them was less a result of New York’s aftermath, and more a sign of two people who fundamentally didn’t belong in a relationship together.

He let his head fall with a _thunk_ against the tiled shower wall, instantly regretting it as the aftereffects of the night before made his head throb.  This was all too much to absorb right now.  He’d deal with it when they got back to New York.  Right now he was going to focus on…whatever it was Coulson had them all there for.  They’d been playing a game of ‘hurry up and wait’ since they got there, drawn by some sort of strange alien energy signature that SHIELD was afraid signaled another alien attack.

By the time the painkillers he’d taken finally kicked in, the water was starting to cool.  He got out and wrapped himself in an oversized towel, feeling a little more up to the task of throwing a snoring Norse God out of his hotel suite so he could order room service and go back to bed.  When he opened the bathroom door, however, Thor was gone, replaced by an altogether more appealing deity lounging across his bed and a tray of gently steaming breakfast food on the dining table.


End file.
